Kannemeyer Has Strong Hand In Both Guineas Events

Dean Kannemeyer will have a chance of landing a seventh Cape Guineas victory with Continue To Dream  (pictured) and a strong chance of winning his first Cape Fillies Guineas with Palace Of Arvernia (Picture: Wayne Marks)

The Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas (December 5) and Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas (December 16) first entries were today and there were strong nominations for both races.

Dean Kannemeyer will likely go into the Fillies Guineas with the favourite, Palace Of Arvernia, and he will have a strong hand in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas (too with the like of the well-bred and unbeaten Continue To Dream probably being near the top of the betting boards.

Dean said about Vercingetorix filly Palace Of Arvernia’s win in the Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship on Saturday, “Everything went her way and she quickened well and got a dream run down the fence. That two-year-old form of hers is holding up. The most important thing is she pulled up sound and now the draw will be important, because there are some very nice visiting fillies coming down for the race. It will be a helluva race, which it is every year. But draws are so important.”

There are only three out of province raiders, but they will all be strong contenders, the unbeaten Kelly Mitchley-trained Malmoos filly Marchland, who won the Gr 2 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes over 1600m by 3,30 lentgths, the Sean Tarry-trained Master Of My Fate filly Alice B Toklas, who won the Gr 3 TAB Starling Stakes over 1400m last time out by half-a-length, and the Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Rafeef filly Flower Island, who won the Gr 2 Betway Jo’Burg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge over 1450m.

Meanwhile, Continue to Dream (Gimmethegreenlight) is being prepared for a tilt at the Gr 2 Lucky Fish Cape Punters Cup over 1600m on the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Summer Course on November 28.

Dean said, “He’s doing well and we will gallop him before that race. We have been very soft on him. I gave him plenty of time to mature and sat on him and then got him onto the racecourse and he duly won. He was very green and then he won well again, but was still very green, he doesn’t know what it is all about. The Gr 2 Punters Cup will put him exactly where I want him to be for the Guineas. But there are some very nice horses around the country. I was impressed by Kalahari King in the Cape Classic. I was impressed by some of the horses from up country. There are some good horses around that have been coming out in Spring for the Summer, so it will be an exciting Guineas.”

Continue To Dream is a full-brother to the multiple Gr 1 winners Gimme The Prince and The Real Prince.

Dean has also entered Big City Roller as well as Impose and the maiden Running Shoes in the Cape Guineas.

Big City Roller (Rafeef) finished a running on 4,25 length third to Kalahari King in the Gr 3 Cape Classic over 1400m.

Impose (Rafeef) made a fine winning debut, although he did hamper a luckless Running Shoes (Gimmethegreenlight), who picked himself and came back in impressive style for a two length second.

Dean said, “The Cape Guineas might come soon for the latter pair as they were horses I sat on for a long time. I had a few issues and we gave them time to recover which they did.”

Dean has never won the Cape Fillies Guineas before, but has record-holding success in the Cape Guineas. He himself has won the latter race six times, which is the same number of times as the current trainer Vaughan Marshall, while his father Peter won it four times as well meaning the Kannemeyer yard has won it a record ten times.

To win the Cape Fillies Guineas with his sole entry Palace Of Arvernia he will have to beat the three raiders mentioned as well as the like of local fillies Grapes Of Wrath, Over My Shoulder and the Western Cape Fillies Championship runner up Georgie Girl.

To win a seventh Cape Guineas he will have to beat the like of Viva Asterix, Kalahari King and Rich man’s World as well as raiders of the class of Turn It Up, Fierceness, Wild And Free, Fish Tales and Coast Of The Sun.

The Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas fields are shown below: